Vehicle shifting top



2 Sheets-Sheet .1.

(No Model.)

A. H. WINGHELL.

VEHICLE SHIPTING TOP.

Patented Deo. 1, 1885.

l" m 5 e fr 6 I b o {N0-fl@ @16 N. PETERS. Pmwumngrapner. wznhingmn. n.1;

(No Mode.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. H. WINGHBLL.

VEHICLE SHIFTING TOP. No. 331,667. Patented Dec. 1,1885.

UNITED STATES PATENT @Erica ADDISON H. VINCHELL, OF HURON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF TVO-THIRDS TO y SAYRES N. LEMON, OF SAME PLACE, AND GEORGE F. GARDNER, OF

HILLSDALE, MICHIG AN.

VEHICLE SHIFTING TOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,667, dated December 1, 1885.

Application filed September 2, 1885. Serial No. 175,953.

To all whom t may concern/ Beit known that I, AnDrsoNH. Winer-TELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huron, county of Erie, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle Shifting Tops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a description of the same, and of the manner of constructing and using the invention, in

such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it appertains to construct and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, the principle of the invention being herein explained, and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

This invention pertains to the type of vehicle shifting tops illustrated in Reissue Patent No. 10,380, of September 11,1883,and original Patent No. 288,247, of November 13, 1883, and its design is to provide certain improvements in said type.

y main design is to provide a construction which shall dispense with the tube shown in said latter patent as extending parallel with the seat-back, and secured to the latter by hangers. incident to said rear tube. This tube must be perfectly level, or else the pivotal rods sliding therein will bind. It also tends to gather impurities, so as to render the movement oi' the rods difficult. But my controlling object is greater simplicity of parts, economy in construction, and increased ease of adjustment.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through one of the side swinging pieces. Fig. 3 is a detail view, in longitudinal vertical section, of the pivotal guideway and the adjacent portion ofthe swinging piece. Fig. 4L is a modified form of pivotal guideway. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the preferred form of guideway. Fig. Gis a view in vertical cross-section of the pivotal guide- Certain. disadvantages are,

(No model.)

way on a plane through its two lips. Fig. 7

is a similar view through the pivot of said 5o guideway. Fig. Sis a vertical cross-section of a side swinging piece at the point of the goose-neck slide.

Secured to one of the two sides of a vehicleseat is a hollow swinging piece, A, which incloses a sliding rod, E, and hasv'its forward extremity pivoted in position at a". Said swinging piece extends horizontally along the top of the side of the seat, and has its rear extremity provided with a small hanger, a, 6o from which depends a stud, b. A rod, B, has its rear extremity formed with an eye, c, fitted loosely on said stud, and a nut, a, is threaded on the stud below the eye. The rod thus pivoted to its swinging piece is fitted in guideway C, which guideway is connected by pivot b2 to hanger D, attached to the corresponding side of the seat D. Said guideway is provided with an outwardly-projecting ilange, c, and with the inwardly-projecting lip c'. Said 70 guideway is also provided on the upper surface, at its two ends, respectively, with the upwardly-projecting knobs c2, having rounded tops, said knobs fitting in the recesses c, formed in the bottom of the depending sides of 7 5 the swinging piece A. 1When the vehicle-top is in its normal place over the seat, the forward one of said knobs presses tightly up against rod E and locks it against rattling movement. Hanger D has the outwardly-projecting ilange 8o d, the counterpart of dange c, and has also depending from its forward portion and threaded in a hole therein the set-screw d', by which said guideway and hanger can be adj usted tightly to each other. The longitudinal steel 8 5 cap F is suitably connected to the front and rear extremities of sliding rod E. Its object is to cover the otherwise open upper surface of swinging piece A, keeping dust out, and also adding to the finish of the work. The re- 9o ciprocal flanges of the guideway and hanger, as described, aii'ord large area of bearing, and so counteract strain. Said flanges also protect the sliding parts from dust.

It will be seen that my improvement gives ample bearing to all the parts in line with the front pivotal points, so giving especial firmness to all said parts when locked together, and no spring or play at the corners of the seat takes place.

`The lazy-back H has its supports h attached to the body of the seat, and not to the contrivances by which the top is adjusted, and so I provide a shiftin g top where the upholstered back is rigid with the seat, and in which the arm-rests L and rear rod, M, which connects the sliding rods E, have movement free of the back. Vhen the vehicle-top is in normal square position, the supportsZ of the arm-rests provide bearing for the lazy back. Said supports Z also stiffen the rear connectingrod, M.

As a modification of the cylindrical guideway C and rod B, sliding therein, I show in Fig. 4 the slotted flat sliding bar I, inclosed in case K, provided with bolt k, by which bolt the case may be pivoted to a hanger attached to the seat, said bar adapted to be pivoted at its rear end, fi, to swinging piece A.

It will be understood that the slot-irons of the vehicle-top are to be secured to the gooseneck G, while the braces of said vehicle-top are to be secured to the supports m, formed as extensions on the ends of the rod M, which connects the rear extremities ofthe two sliding rods E together.

The mode of operating this form of side shifting top is as follows: \Vhen a person is to get in or out of the buggy, the corresponding side of the buggy-top is to be shifted back, so as to give free passage-way. The top is then to be returned to its normal forward position, and there locked against accidental displacement. Either side of the top can thus be swung backward at will and returned and secured; or, if desired, the top can be moved directly backward, both sides thereof traveling on right lines. /Vhen moved in return forward, both sides are then locked, and the top is secured during travel of the buggy. In this swinging movement the rods B have longitudinal movement in the pivotal guideways, while at the same time said guideways turn on their pivots, thus permitting free adjustment of the parts incident to such swinging movement.

Vhat, therefore, I claim isl. In a shifting vehicle-top, the combination, with a side piece pivoted at its forward extremity to the seat, of a pivotal device connecting the rear extremity of said side piece to the seat, substantially as set forth.

2. In a vehicle shifting top, the combination, with a side piece pivoted at its forward extremity to the seat, of a pivotal device secured to the latter, and connecting with the rear extremity of the said side piece by adj ustable mechanism permitting free swinging movement of said side piece ou its forward pivot, substantially as set forth.

3. In a vehicle-top device, the combination, with a swinging piece having its forward extremity pivoted to the seat sideV and its rear end provided with apivoted guiderod, of a pivotal guideway for said rod, said guideway attached to the side of the seat and in substantial parallelism with it, substantially as set forth.

4. In a vehicle-top device, the combination, with a swinging piece provided with a pivotal guide-rod attached to its rear end, and a pivotal guideway for said rod substantially parallel with the side of the vehicleseat, of a hanger with which said guideway is pivotally connected, said hanger attached to the vehicle-seat, substantially as set forth.

5. In a vehicle shifting-top device, the combination, with swinging piece A and rod E, fitted within said piece, of the pivotal guideway G, attached to said piece, and provided with one or more projecting knobs, c, adapted to press upon said rod, substaniially as set forth.

6. In a vehicle shifting-top device, the combination, with the swinging piece A, provided at its rear end with the pivotal guide-rod B, of the guideway C, pivoted to hanger D, and provided with the outwardlyprojecting flange c, substantially as set forth.

7. 'Ihe combination,with the swinging piece A, provided with the pivotal guide-rod B, of guideway C, pivoted to hanger D,and provided with the projecting lip c', substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of swinging piece A, having guide rod B pivoted at its rear end, and guideway C, in which said rod plays, of hanger D, to which said guidewayis pivoted, said hanger attached to the seat and provided with the projecting flange d, substantially as set forth.

9. The combinatiomwith the hollow swinging piece A, having slot formed in its upper surface, and rod E, sliding within said hollow piece, of cap F, connected at both its ends with said rod, and adapted to cover said slot more or less as said rod is variably adjusted in said piece A, substantially as set forth.

l0. The combination, with guideway C, provided with one or more knobs, c2, and hanger D, provided with set-screw d,of swinging piece A, provided with sliding rod E, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination, with pivotal guideway C and hanger D, of adjusting device d', substantially as set forth.

12.v The combination, with an arm-rest, L, and rear bar, M, of support Z, connecting the two, substantially as set forth. v

13. The combination, with rods E and bar M, connecting their rear ends, of the two armrests L and the two vertical supports Z, respectively connecting the rear extremity-of each arm-rest to said bar M, substantially as set forth.

IOO

IIO

IIS

14. The combination, with lazyback H, be my invention I have hereunto set my hand rigid'with the seat, of supports l, rigid with this 28th day of August, A. D. 1885.

the movable arm-rests said lazy-back having bearing against said 7supports when the Ve- ADDISON H' WINGHELL' 5 hide-top is in forward locked position7 sub- Witnesses:

Stzmtinlly as set forth. T-Hos. B. HALL, In testimony that I claim the foregoing to JNO. G. HALL. 

